[extropy-chat] Futurist priorities was ex-tropical

[Brian Lee]

>From: The Avantguardian <avantguardian2020 at yahoo.com>
>To: ExI chat list <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
>Subject: RE: [extropy-chat] Futurist priorities was ex-tropical
>Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 21:34:38 -0800 (PST)
>
>The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
>
>* Ok, let's asume that this is true. What then is the
>road to heaven paved with? Evil intentions? What if
>you don't believe in either heaven or hell? I would
>say that the road to oblivion is paved with
>negligence.

Are you serious? Are you analyzing the cliche "Road to hell..." by arguing 
whether hell and heaven exist? Are familiar with the concepts of heaven and 
hell? When someone tells you to "Go to hell" do you then try to determine if 
their concept of hell is negative or do you just feel like they are pissed 
with you? If you eat a nice piece of pie and say "I'm in heaven" I think 
I'll get your intentions.

>You speak of the USSR and China as failures. Perhaps
>the Soviet Union was a failure but was it due solely
>to their economic model? Or was it because it had the
>most powerful country in the world as it's chief rival
>undermining its efforts for 50 years? I cannot analyze
>the USSR because it no longer exists. But I can
>solidly conclude from analysis of the following data
>that China is definately NOT a failure.
>
>    Population: US = 290 million, China = 1.29 billion,
>Winner = China
>    GDP: US = $10.45 trillion, China = $5.99 trillion,
>Winner = US
>    GDP per capita: US = $36,300, China = $4,700,
>Winner = US
>    GDP real growth rate: US = 2.4%, China = 8.0%,
>Winner = China
>    % below poverty: US = 12.7%, China = 10.0%, Winner
>= China
>    %GDP held by poorest 10%: US = 1.8%, China = 2.4%,
>Winner = China
>    %GDP held by richest 10%: US =30.5%, China = 30.4%,
>Winner = US?
>    Inflation rate: US = 1.6%, China = -0.8%, Winner =
>China
>    Unemployment: US = 5.8%, China = 10.0%, Winner = US
>
>data source:
>
> http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ch.html 
>
> >From these 9 economic indicators, I have to conclude
>that China is beating us 5 to 4. I therefore would not
>by any means call China a failure. I find some of the
>more interesting results of my analysis to be that
>despite a higher percentage of unemployment in China,
>a smaller fraction of their population is
>impoverished. There seems to be less of a discrepancy
>between richest rich and the poorest poor in China.
>Moreover by my calculations, assuming that growth
>rates remain unchanged, China's GDP will exceed ours
>in 10.4 years.

Note that China is growing at such a click because of market forces. China 
is going to be an economic powerhouse (should surpass the US GDP by 2030) 
not because of planned economies but because of markets.

BAL

_________________________________________________________________
Fast. Reliable. Get MSN 9 Dial-up - 1 month FREE! (Limited-time Offer) 
http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200361ave/direct/01/